₹3.62-crore senior secondary school building reconstructed after the old structure was washed away in August 2023
Munish Sood
Mandi
Three years after the devastating rains of 2023 washed away the Government Senior Secondary School building at Deori in Mandi district, students have finally returned to a newly constructed campus.
Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu joined the ceremony virtually from Shimla on Tuesday to mark the commencement of classes in the new building.
The senior secondary school building has been constructed at a cost of around ₹3.62 crore, while a new building for the Government Primary School at Deori has been built at a cost of approximately ₹70 lakh.
The original Deori school building was completely washed away on August 14, 2023, during the heavy rains and subsequent devastation that affected large parts of Himachal Pradesh.
Addressing the function, the Chief Minister congratulated the students and appreciated the contribution of the local community towards rebuilding the school. He specifically thanked local residents Chinta Devi, Dasi Devi and Punni Devi for donating more than one bigha of land to the Education Department for the construction of the school.
Sukhu said the state government was rebuilding schools damaged in natural disasters with modern infrastructure and was undertaking changes in the education sector with the objective of improving the quality of education.
He claimed that Himachal Pradesh, which ranked 21st in the education sector in 2021, had now moved up to fifth position as a result of the measures taken by the present government.
The Chief Minister also announced a grant of ₹1 lakh for cultural activities at the school.
Congress general secretary and MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who could not travel to Deori because of adverse weather, sent a message for the students. Her message was read out at the local function by the Chief Minister’s political adviser Sunil Sharma Bittu.
Recalling her visit to Deori in September 2023, Priyanka Gandhi said she had personally witnessed the devastation caused by the disaster. She noted that the local community had worked hard over the past three years to rebuild the damaged school.
She wished the students success and said she would visit the school and meet them in September.
In her message, she urged the students to understand the values of the Constitution, equality, love, unity and brotherhood, and said that developing their skills and talents would begin at school itself.
The school reconstruction has particular significance for Deori, as the old building was among the infrastructure severely affected by the 2023 disaster. The completion of the new structure has now restored regular classroom facilities for students.
Education Secretary Rakesh Kanwar and Director of School Education Ashish Kohli joined the programme from Shimla. At Deori, HPMC board member Joginder Guleria, Block Congress Committee president Devender Thakur, Deputy Commissioner Apurva Devgan, Superintendent of Police Vinod Kumar and other officials and local representatives were present.
After three years of disruption, the most significant outcome for Deori was not the ceremony itself but the return of students to a permanent school building—marking the final chapter of the long reconstruction process triggered by the 2023 disaster.
